>> announcer: and now, from washington's leading news station, this is news 4 at 11:00. >> right now at 11:00, the search intensifies for a man who

sexually assaulted a woman on a local trail. what police are doing to protect the public. >> five deaths reportedly linked to one energy drink. tonight, a maryland family is talking about their tragedy as the government launches its own investigation. >> my wife, her water broke and she's in labor. and, um, she's pushing and i'm trying to get her not to push. >> 9-1-1 calls as a man delivers his baby on the side of the beltway. >> first, things much more subdued tonight as president obama and mitt romney faced off in their third and final debate. >> with only 15 days to goelect lot on the line. >> mitt romney and barack obama came to their third and final debate tied in national polls. baseball's national league playoffs and monday night football got millions of viewers

who missed the face-off in florida on the rise of muslim extremism. >> i congratulate him on taking out osama bin laden and going after the leadership in al-qa a al-qaida. but we can't kill our way out of this mess. >> governor romney, i'm glad that you recognize al-qaida is a threat. a few weeks ago, you said russia, not al-qaida, you said russia. what we need to do with respect to the middle east is strong, steady leadership. not wrong and reckless leadership. >> attacking me is not an agenda. i'm not going to wear rose-colored glasses when it comes to russia or mr. putin. now, there's some 10,000 centerfuges spinning around the world. >> mr. obama says he has. >> we've put in the toughest, most crippling sanctions ever. but our economy is in a

shambles. >> they do work. you're seeing it right now in the economy. >> the disagreement i have with governor romney is during the course of this campaign, he's often talked as if we should take premature military action. >> of course, a military action is the last resort. >> reporter: they touched on economic issues. >> i will get america working again. >> reporter: president obama recycling an attack. >> both at home and abroad, he has proposed wrong and reckless policies. >> reporter: their final face-to-face. the election, two weeks away. this race looks tied and both sides agree, nothing is more likely to affect the outcome of this campaign than this debate. i'm steve handlesman, nbc news, boca raton, florida. >> people who watched the debate quickly weighed in online. there were 6 1/2 million tweets tonight. we asked you to tell us who you think came out on top.

angie golf continues our coverage with a closer look at tonight's tending topics. >> half an hour into the debate, all of the top ten trending topics on twitter and washington were about the match-up. early on, president obama attacked the former governor's foreign policy strategy calling it out dated. >> a few months ago, you said russia. not al-qaida. you said russia. and the 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back. >> this drew a lot of reaction from both sides. we also heard from mike kiegan. he said that's actually a pretty lame sound byte. now, another issue we heard about gender equality. this after romney mentioned the issue as one he cares about in the middle east. dc girl 627 writes romney wants gender equality in the middle east but looks for women in america in binders.

now, romney's small mention of sequestration. that got big, local response. wondered who was going to bring up sequestration first. and then, later in the debate. the candidates actually traded barbs over military spending, horses and bayonet. we also saw a lot of complaints that the candidates actually strayed from the focus of the debate. woe heard from steven on facebook oh, this was a foreign policy debate? could have fooled me. moderator bob schaffer said olama bin laden after a slip of the tongue. for complete analysis of tonight's debate and a story board of regional reaction on social media, join us online at nbc washington.com. >> police are stepping up patrols along the capital crescent trail in bethesda.

officers on bike and horseback started surveying the area after a woman was knocked unconscious and sexually assaulted. >> reporter: well, that woman was out here on the capital crescent trail south of massachusetts avenue in bethesda. all of the sudden, she was knocked unconscious. woke up, dragged off of the trail. move a little to the left and you can see police put up this yellow crime scene tape. a warning to joggers and bikers out here while they combed for evidence searching for the leaves. tonight, police are issuing another warning to people who use the trail. be careful. >> tonight, maryland national capital park police patrolled the capital crescent trail searching for possible clues into the sexual assault of a 21-year-old woman. the sunday night attack frightens joggers like case see. >> it's so terrifying because we live in the area. >> reporter: the woman told police she was jogging on the trail in bethesda around 7:00.

she stopped to let some deer kr cross and then the attacker knocked her unconscious, sexually assaulting her. she woke up realizing the man dragged her off the trail. >> i wouldn't even think that could happen here. there's so many bikers and joggers that run here every day. that's scary. >> reporter: police say a jogger heard her cries for help. he picked her up and walked to a nearby home. >> it was so shocking for me. this is the first time that something like that happened, just, like, a hundred yards from here. >> in an exclusive interview, this woman tells us she answered the door when the 21-year-old knocked and asked for help. >> she wasn't crying because she wanted the paramedics be here right away, you know. and i always say they're coming, they're coming. >> reporter: earlier today, park police search on horseback and on bikes. >> i think no place is secure, nowadays. >> but others say the trail is secure. safe and appreciate added patrols. >> thank you, guys.

>> now, tonight, that woman tells us that she is in serious but stable condition. that's what police are saying. and back out here, let me tell you, montgomery county police are telling us that this latest incident is not related to the other three robberies that occurred on the capital crescent trail north of massachusetts avenue. live in bethesda, i'm shomari stone, news 4. >> a teenager has been locked up in connection with the death of a man in northeast d.c. kevin austin has been charged with killing 22-year-old gregory troxley in an alley earlier this month. it happened in broad daylight, but the motive is still unclear. >> i heard shots. i come running outside. it's my baby on the ground. i'm trying to get to my baby. i get there. this ain't no life to have. i didn't get to tell my baby before he left me i love him. >> austin has a criminal record. he's spent time in juvenile

facilities on an arson charng. at the timef the shooting, he was wearing a court-ordered tracking device but it had stopped working just before the alleged crime. >> the person who killed a pregnant mother of four in new york city left a chilling note about one of the d.c. snipers. verks vinda lee smith was found brutally murdered just a day before she had gotten married. a note said more pregnant women would die unless lee malvo was released from prison. police are still looking for a suspect and the moetive. >> a truck fire caused the leaves in northeast d.c. today at the cvs just before 7:00 tonight. things inside that trailer caught fire. traffic on wisconsin avenue was slowed to a crawl because of all of the fire crews. it is not clear what started the fire. >> five deaths have reportedly been linked to monster energy drinks.

tonight, the food and drug administration is investigating. and a maryland family is talking after filing a lawsuit claiming the highly caffeinated drink killed their daughter. jim rosenfield is in hagerstown with the warning. >> okay, this is anisa's room. >> it's exactly 10 months tomorrow since the 14 yeerlt's death. tonight, in her home, her mother still grieves. >> i visit the cemetery every day. >> wendy says she died from a severe reaction after drinking two monster energy dripgs. downing as much caffeine as you'd find in 14 12 ounce cans of soda. her cause of death? ca . >> she had regular check-ups and was given no restrictions by her doctor. her mother says it's a dangerous combination others need to know about. >> we just need to get the word

out there so this never happens to anybody else. >> before filing a wrongful death lawsuit late last week, the family sought reports of other similar incidents on file with the f.d.a. they found four other deaths reported in the last year alone involving people who also drank monster. >> they need to be regulated. they regulate ice, they regulate band-aids. >> but energy drinks like monster aren't regulated by the f.d.a. because they're considered a dietary supplement, not a food. the f.d.a. tells news 4 these incidents now under investigation are taken very seriously. but a spokesperson also points out these adverse events in and of themselves do not prove what caused the event and continues to evaluate the e emergencying science of caffeine. as for the company, monster says its sympathies go out to the family. but it insists it is unaware of any fatalities anywhere that's been caused by its drinks. >> several d.c. council members

say they would support the ban of large, sugary soft drinks in the district. council members michael brown and vincent orange both said that they would vote to ban the sale of large, sugary dripgs. council member cheye fell one vote short of passing a tax on sodas. others say they were open to discussion but haven't taken a decision. new york city passed a law that banned the sale of supersized soft drinks. several businesses are suing to try to repeal that law. >> coming up, jumped his way into the record books. but, tonight, fearless phoenix reveals why he won't be doing it again. >> forget the hospital, a local man delivers his baby on the side of the beltway. her hear the cell phone call that helped him pull it off. >> and how about our weather, doug? >> a couple of storms making their way our way. and then a coastal storm that could be a big one? we'll talk about it all.

as governor, i cut five billion dollars in spending and balanced the budget every year. and tim kaine and i both cut our own pay as governors, to lead by example. mark warner and i reached across party lines to get things done. we were a great team in richmond and we'll be a great team in washington. i'm tim kaine and i approve this message ...because we'll work together to restore fiscal responsibility, grow our economy and create jobs. [ male announcer ] tim kaine. bringing people together to tackle the challenges of tomorrow.

. there won't be anymore free falls from the stratosphere for feelics baumgartener. he says he's done. baumgartener broke the sound barrier and says he didn't even enjoy it. he did say the view was incredible from up there. >> some controversy over a major construction project in alexandria.

crews laid down new grass. now, they're tearing it up. turns out the median will become a transit lane for buss. alexandria's transportation director says the grass, while it is short-lived, is designed to cut down on the dust kicked up by all of the construction. krcritics argue that the grass a waste of federal dollars. >> a mother in labor, a father stuck in traffic and a big brother in panic mode. one story of a family forced to deliver a baby on the side of the beltway. >> he let out a good cry when he was born, but it's the way he made his grand debut that could make his story one for the box office. >> i trusted him with, you know, not just my life, with our son. >> stacey anne was already 39 weeks and schedule today be induced today. but, yesterday, baby aaron had

other plans. >> but she felt the intense contractions. >> reporter: they got in the car and started driving. >> the only way i could stop this pain is if i get him out. >> forcing dad to call for help. >> prince george's county 9-1-1 emergency center? >> yes, i'm on the beltway heading northbound towards the hopt. my wife, her water broke. >> and there on the side of 495, it happened. >> he's crying up here. he's breathing. he's breathing. >> okay, gently wipe off his mouth and nose and dry him off with a clean towel. you want to tie the shoe lace around the umbilical cord. >> big brother, amon, was able to help dad, too. >> i was tugging the string. >> minutes later, the family was transported by ambulance to holy cross in silver spring. >> they're there now, sir? you did a great job, congratulations. >> baby and family are doing well and are expected to be home tomorrow. and the family jokes, what's his

nickname going to be? shotgun? 95? shoe string? at holy cross, erica gonzalez, news 4. >> just happy that everything turned out all right, i think. >> that's one dad who honly can say i brought you into this world. [ laughter ] >> in the famous words of bill cosby. more nice weather in our future? today was wonderful. >> a lot of people actually said it's too warm. believe it or not. as beautiful as today was, they said, hey, where's the fall temperature. for you folks who were hoping for warmer temperatures, they are on the way over the next couple of days. but don't worry, that cooler weather is m coing back, too. it happens every time this time of year. we did see a high temperature. some areas 5-10 degrees above average today. a beautiful evening and we're going to continue to be quite nice as we make our way through the next couple of hours. as far as the temperatures go, we hit a high temperature of 73 degrees.

that was out of the airport. that did start off on a cool note. but, as far as what we're seeing out there right now, we're going to continue to see those numbers starting to go down. take a look at the record hi, 84 set back in 1979. we didn't hit it today, but we coul couple of days. 58 degrees the current temperature with winds out of the south at around 6 miles per hour. what we're seeing are those numbers continuing to go down. 46 in frederick, 48 in gaithersburg. as far as the rain goes, don't worry about that, you see it on your screen, that is not rain, that is ground clutter. what that means is we are seeing clear skies. that's exactly what we're going to see for the rest of the night tonight. we saw nice weather today with plenty of sunshine. that area of high pressure sags to the south a little bit. gives us some more cloud cover tomorrow, but also continues to keep us nice and warm.

both toouz and wednesday, high temperatures both days will be in the 80s or at least close to that 80 degrees mark. this is tropical storm sandy which now has increased winds to 45 miles per hour and, now, is expected to become a hurricane. and then into the open waters of the atlantic, this is something that we're going to watch very, very closely. some of the computer models trying to bring this very close to the coastline. i think this will stay farther out to see, but we're going to be watching this one very, very close here across the area. partly sunny, cool but nice. tomorrow afternoon, partly sunny, nice and warm. temperatures 76 to about 80 degrees. and as we move on, we'll start at 79 tomorrow. the record is 84 and we could get there in some areas. thursday, 77. friday, 76. and then a little bit cooler as

we make our way into the weekend and then watching that potential storm system up the coast late sunday and into the day on monday. i did not step in front of the map so apparently, i had some hair out of place and i couldn't step. my clicker was not working. so that's why you did not see me in front of the maps tonight. >> actually, it was the whole thing. >> i just need to turn it. >> coming up in sports, you want to know what a happy campe

maryland schools are number one in america because we invest in them. but we can do even more. every year marylanders spend five hundred and fifty million dollars at casinos in other states. question 7 keeps that maryland money in maryland through expansion of gaming in maryland. it will mean hundreds of millions of dollars for our schools. as governor, i can promise you, that money will go to education. that's the law and that's what we'll do. vote for question seven.

this is the xfinity sports desk. braught to you by xfinity, your home for most live sports. >> even though they lost, there's some good things that came out today. >> you don't normally hear that

very often from the cynical media. >> how about this team? >> i believe it. i'm along for that ride. the, you know, the giant's game on paper, losing that game and losing their leading receiver for the process looks like it could be the beginning of a downward spiral for the red skins. last year, it may have been. this year, despite the defensive struggles, robert griffin, iii gives you a hope. griffin did take a hit when fred davis ruptures his hip ending his season. now the skins will rely on logan paulson, niles paul and, of course, a franchise favorite, old number 47 is back. the skins have resigned chris cooley. and he was anxious to hear from his old coach. >> i sat and waited for the call. and i thought i hope they call. it was like ninth grade or eighth grade basketball. am i going to make the team call laying there, like, come on? just give me a call.

tell me i can come back. and the coach called about 7:30. >> well, i called chris when we landed. and i asked him what type of shape he was in. and he felt like he was in pretty good shape. i asked him if he'd like to come back. he said he did. so we're excited to have him. and, you know, i trust chris. if he says he's in good shape, he's in good shape. so, hopefully, he can help us this next week. >> i went to bed about 3:30. i went to bed but i just didn't sleep in bed because i was just so excited to come back to work. i talked to coach for 20 minutes. he said we're going to count on you. we need you to step up and play. i'm not sure what the role will be week one or week two as i transition into it. i've got to prove to them that i should be on the field. and i've got to prove it right away and that's what i want to do. i have a chance, i think, to make the most of a great opportunity this year. and i'm looking forward to that. >> we only showed the giddy part of the interview.

but, obviously, he was very disappointed for he has friend, fred davis. he was having a great year. that's just the way the nfl works these days. one injury opens the door for somebody else to step in. speaking of injuries, maryland has lost two quarterbacks to torn acls. first in august and now freshman perry hills done for the year. the terps will turn to their only two quarterbacks on the roaster. hill started the first seven games of the sb. season. he suffered a torn acl on saturday trying to make a tackle after throwing an interception. no word yet on the starting quarterback. yeah, that hurts. you can see it right there. for this saturday's game, only two choices. either burns or rowe. folks, gilbert arenas has found a new team. in china. the three-time all-star formerly known close to signing with southern tiegs, according to yahoo.

did i say that correctly? gilbert averaged four points in 17 games for the memphis grizzlies. the move to china means his nba career has likely reached an end. but the good as governor, i cut five billion dollars in spending and balanced the budget every year. and tim kaine and i both cut our own pay as governors, to lead by example. mark warner and i reached across party lines to get things done. we were a great team in richmond and we'll be a great team in washington. i'm tim kaine and i approve this message ...because we'll work together to restore fiscal responsibility, grow our economy and create jobs. [ male announcer ] tim kaine. bringing people together to tackle the challenges of tomorrow.

ellen degeneres was honored tonight with the mark twain prize for humor. degeneres is the host of her own shown right here on nbc 4. >> i just do what i do.

i don't do it for any other reason other than making people happy. >> she's so important in every level of comedy with every level of humanity. she's done so much for so many people. >> i admire her on so many levels on her personal life and how she's conducted herself and what she's done and changed the world and, plus, she's so funny. >> it just makes a guest feel warm. i have more fun. m probably funnier on her show than anybody's show. >> the show will be broadcast october 30th on tbs. dial it up. you get one ringy dingy, two ringy dingy. as governor, i cut five billion dollars in spending and balanced the budget every year. and tim kaine and i both cut our own pay as governors, to lead by example. mark warner and i reached across party lines to get things done. we were a great team in richmond and we'll be a great team in washington. i'm tim kaine and i approve this message

...because we'll work together to restore fiscal responsibility, grow our economy and create jobs. [ male announcer ] tim kaine. bringing people together to tackle the challenges of tomorrow.

>> announcer: it's "the tonight show with jay leno," featuring rickey minor and "the tonight show" band. tonight, jay welcomes -- halle berry. comedienne ali wentworth.